Delegates from India visit Hawai'i Community College

A small delegation from the University of Mumbai in India visited Hawa'i CC on June 27, 2013.

HILO (June 27, 2013) — A three-member delegation from the University of Mumbai in India visited Hawai‘i Community College on Thursday, June 27, 2013 as part of a visit to the state, where the delegates have been studying the University of Hawai‘i system.

The delegates have been meeting with key UH administrators and government officials during the past week to discuss and finalize a joint grant proposal between President Barack Obama and India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to support efforts to develop a similar community college model within the University of Mumbai.

The visit is part of India's ambitious initiative to establish 10,000 community colleges for 500 million students by 2030.

The University of Mumbai has 667 affiliated colleges and more than 690,000 undergraduate students.

The delegates from India are: Naresh Chandra, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Mumbai; A.P. Mahajan, Member, Management Council, University of Mumbai; and Sanyogita Morarji, Member, Academic Council, University of Mumbai.

UH community colleges have been providing technical expertise to help India meet its goals for vocational education and skills enhancement.

Administrators, faculty and staff from Hawai‘i CC and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo welcomed the visitors to the Hawai‘i CC campus in Hilo on Thursday morning with a kīpaepae ceremony.

“We’re honored that the delegation from the University of Mumbai chose to visit and learn from the University of Hawai‘i system and Hawai‘i Community College as they develop their own community colleges within their university system,” said Hawai‘i CC Chancellor Noreen Yamane. “We’re also excited about the prospect of entering into a partnership with the University of Mumbai to provide educational opportunities worldwide for administrators, faculty, staff, and students.”